Quotes & amp;amp; Notes

Leave 'em Be -- Summer means warmer weather, longer days and a whole new generation of wildlife. But apparently, hikers are taking the well-being of little Bambi into their own hands. Animal clinics throughout the region have reported receiving dozens of baby birds, squirrels and even baby deer, brought in by people who found the young animals and thought they'd been abandoned. Experts say you should leave uninjured wildlife alone, as mothers often go out for hours but will return to their young. If you find a baby bird on the ground whose feathers have not yet grown in, gently place it back in the nest; if it is feathered, put it on a branch. For animals that are injured or clearly abandoned (alone for three days or longer), call the Department of Wildlife at 456-4082.

Ticket Please -- There have been a lot of stories coming out about the controversial film Fahrenheit 9/11. One big storyline has been how many protesters were expected to picket theaters that ran the film and how few picketers ever showed up. But according to the Salt Lake Tribune, one theater found a way to do the job for them. At the Jordan Landing Cinemark in West Jordan, Utah, during the first week of the film's run, the ticket taker barked out "Vote for Bush!" every time he tore a ticket for Michael Moore's documentary. When asked, he said he was following instructions from management. After more follow-ups, the theater stopped the mini-protest.

Sorry, Uh, We Lost Those -- Leading news organizations like the New York Times have been pursuing the release of more records that could shed light on whether President Bush was AWOL from his military service or, as he has said, if he served his full tour of duty. That will remain an open question, since the records, which could have proven Bush's point or confirmed his absence, have been destroyed. Inadvertently, of course, as the Pentagon informed the media last week.

From On High -- By now you've heard about the New York Post's massive gaffe, in which the newspaper published a front-page story about John Kerry selecting Richard Gephardt as his running mate. Apparently the Post had to rush to rewrite its Kerry-picks-Edwards story to make room for the front-page flub. Why? A Post employee has told the New York Times that the mistake went all the way to the top. According to the employee, Rupert Murdoch, owner of the conservative Post (and FOX News), called the tip into the newsroom late at night and ordered the paper to run with it. Looks like the guy famous for the no-spin zone got spun by somebody.